


Saving All Our Lives

by ChokolatteJedi



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Episode Tag, Episode: s04e06 Tabula Rasa, Fix-It, Geeky, Gen, flashfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-04-25
Updated: 2009-04-25
Packaged: 2017-10-08 18:10:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/78168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChokolatteJedi/pseuds/ChokolatteJedi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tag for Tabula Rasa. Spoilery.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Saving All Our Lives

**Author's Note:**

> This piece came about mostly because it annoys me that the writers didn't see the obvious explanation for Rodney not pushing the computer button _before_ going crazy.

Rodney backed away from the doorway, the image of Teyla fighting the soldiers haunting him. How long until they came for him? How long did he have before they stormed in here and dragged him off to face some horrible fate? Rodney rushed back to his computer and typed in what he thought was the last code.

Hesitantly pushing enter, Rodney was relieved to see the program computing the series of commands. Now all he had to do was apply the new coding to the ventilation system, and then he could go… something…

Find Teyla! Yes! That was what he could go do. Rodney shook his head. "Alright, focus, Rodney. You're going to save all our lives."

Bolstered only slightly by the reminder of Teyla's reassurance, Rodney paced nervously for a moment before darting back to look at the computer screen. "What!?"

_Coding Assimilated. Approximate Rendering Time Remaining: 02:59:52. 02:59:51._

"Uh! _Three hours?_ It takes you three hours to render a simple ventilation code?" After his initial shout, Rodney quickly lowered his voice, remembering that there were… people, some kind of people, who were… coming after him. Soldiers! Yes.

Soldiers coming after him. Soldiers who had taken Teyla somewhere. He had to find her. No, he had to work on the computer. Rodney turned back to the computer.

_02:58:03._

Right. He couldn't do anything on the computer right now. And in three hours… how much more of his memory would he lose? "Think, Rodney, think!" Rodney pressed his palm against his forehead, hoping it might force an idea into existence.

He needed to remember to check the computer, so he needed to… a message. Yes, he could leave himself a message.

Teyla! He had to find Teyla, too. The soldiers would take her somewhere… the brig! There was a code he needed… Rodney grabbed a marker and looked around for something to write on - something he would not lose. His arm! Rodney quickly wrote the override code on his arm.

And Teyla, he had to find her. And remember who she was, of course. Rodney sighed. He was going to need more than his arm. Shoving the marker into his pants pocket, Rodney looked around for another way to leave himself a message.

There were a bunch of pencils beside his tablet, but no paper, and he couldn't use a pencil on his… right, his tablet!

Rodney hurried over to the shelves that held the recording instruments. Grabbing a handheld camera that recorded to a flashstick, Rodney turned it on and began speaking.

"All right, look. I know you're probably panicking right now, but there is no time for that. You need to focus."


End file.
